ST. ALBAN 'S GIFT TO MISS MARGARET ROBERTS

ADOPTION OF CANDIDATE FOR LOCAL ELECTION

St. Alban's Ward of Dartford Divisional Conservative Association gave Miss Margaret Roberts her first wedding present at an informal meeting of the ward at St. Alban's Hall, Dartford, on Friday.

They also took the opportunity of adopting Mr. L. F. Chidgey as prospective Conservative candidate for the ward for the May, 1952, municipal elections.

Proposing the adoption of Mr. Chidgey, Miss Roberts said that now they had a Conservative Government at Westminster it was doubly important they should have local councillors who could be relied on to back up a central Government.

It was vital that Socialist councils should be swung over to a right wing complexion. This did not mean they should be absolutely party political. They should not and need not. Many of the things that came up in a local council were not party political at all, but rather matters of administration, and people need not fear party politics in local matters to anything like the extent they sometimes did.

The Conservatives did not in any way as a party try to control the actions of local or county councillors. What they tried to do was to put up people who were really worthy of taking part in local affairs, and in Mr. Chidgey they had one of the best people they could possibly have as a candidate for a local council.

Their chance

They had to make good their national victory in every possible sphere, and in Dartford they really had a chance of turning the political complexion of the Council in May. It was a chance they did not want to miss.

Mr. Chidgey said that particular ward had a good chance of always returning an anti-Socialist to the Council, and a Conservative fighting the election with the virile ward association behind him would win it.

It was agreed that Mr. Chidgey should not withdraw if any other anti-Socialist candidate put up in the ward.

Presentation

The presentation of a clock as a wedding gift was made to Miss Roberts on behalf of the ward by Mrs. G. Pottle, wife of the ward chairman.

In expressing her thanks, Miss Roberts said that as she was not contesting Dartford again, for her a kind of double chapter was closing. But she would be in the Division a lot and particularly in that ward, as she was their president.

She thanked them for their friendliness and the way they had co-operated and worked unstintedly for the cause. The Division was in a first-class condition to go on and achieve great things, she said.

Major Denis Thatcher added his thanks also.

Miss Roberts was also handed a small pyrex dish with a note that read, “To Miss Margaret Roberts, hoping now that the Conservatives are in you will soon find this will be too small to hold your meat ration for two.—A Butcher.”

Mr. J. L. M. Miller (Divisional chairman) thanked Miss Roberts, the agent, and all who had worked in the election.